Archive for the ‘Catholic beliefs’

The Bible is made up of two parts—the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is a set of books that was written before the life of Jesus. The New Testament is a set of books that was written after Jesus’ death. The Old Testament is sometimes also called the Hebrew Bible because most of it was originally composed in ancient Hebrew. However, some books were written in Aramaic or Greek, so the name is not completely accurate. The Old Testament is also sometimes referred to as the Jewish Scriptures because the bulk of it is drawn from the sacred texts of the Jewish people. However, that’s not completely accurate, either, because the Catholic Old Testament includes some texts that the Jewish people do not consider to be sacred. The Old Testament contains 46 books, which can be divided into four parts: Torah (or Pentateuch) Historical Books Wisdom Books Prophetic Books Torah “Torah” is roughly translated as “law,” but it has a more complex meaning. The law of Moses (which is extremely condensed into the Ten Commandments) was given to the ancient Israelites by God. The law is meant to show the Jewish people a right way of […]

In the climactic scene of Green Lantern, test-pilot-turned-superhero, Hal Jordan, leads his mortal enemy, Parallax, toward the sun, hoping that the gravitational pull will suck the monster toward a point of no return. Parallax is the personification of evil—a giant mash up of Medusa, octopus, and factory smoke. Parallax gets his power from the energy of fear. He induces fear in everyone he encounters, feeds on their fear, and grows larger from the energy. He has grown so powerful and fearful that he can now destroy entire planets. He is about to destroy Earth when he is confronted by Hal Jordan. The will to overcome fear Jordan has assumed the role of a Green Lantern, which is a member of an intergalactic corps committed to enforcing peace and justice and destroying evil wherever they find it. Jordan has been empowered for this superhuman role by donning a mysterious ring that harnesses the good “will” of the Universe. But Jordan remains “only human,” even when he is wearing the ring. In order to wield the power of the ring effectively, Jordan must overcome his own fear—through the force of will—and imagine how to defeat his enemy. The primal conflict is between […]

My diocese is getting a new auxiliary bishop. This is the first auxiliary in the 30-year history of the San José diocese. There is a lot of energy and excitement all around the diocese about this historic event. And it has all made me wonder about why dioceses have auxiliary bishops and what an auxiliary bishop does. What exactly is a “bishop”? Before we get into that, let’s look at the role of the bishop in general. The office of bishop is one of three orders of ordained ministers in the church: bishops, priests, and deacons. Bishops have three primary roles. Their job is to: Encourage growth in holiness Lead (or govern) Teach All of these tasks are specific to a particular geographic area, which is called a diocese. Every bishop is assigned to a diocese, and within that diocese, he is the final authority on matters of holiness, leadership, and teaching in the church. Isn’t the pope in charge? Many people think the pope is the final authority. That’s sort of true, but it’s complicated. According to canon law, an individual bishop is the head of the diocese, and the only one above him is Jesus. However, a bishop […]

Saint Expeditus, perhaps a fictional saint, is the patron saint of procrastinators. His feast day is celebrated on April 19 (four days after tax day) or, as his followers like to say, whenever you get around to it. Traditional images of him feature the words, hodie and cras, Latin for today and tomorrow. I’ve done it again, Lord, and missed […]

Dust to dust: a reflection on Ash Wednesday (Faith Field Guide) Ash Wednesday Quiz (Faith Field Guide) What Works: What Are You Giving Up for Lent? (Busted Halo) What’s That on Your Forehead? My Popular Ash Wednesday Post (Catechist’s Journey) Sample Intercessions for Ash Wednesday (Diocese of San José) My Lent: Ashes, Addiction, and the […]

The first time I celebrated Ash Wednesday in a Latino parish, I was overwhelmed. People were lined up around the block; they kept coming all day and well into the night. Old people with canes and walkers, middle aged folks, 20-somethings, children, teenagers. Some folks were well-dressed; others looked like they might be homeless. Most were silent, resisting the efforts […]

When I was a kid, I went to confession once a week. It’s not that I was a huge sinner. I went to a Catholic grade school, and all the kids had to go once a week—whether we had any sins to confess or not. A friend of mine recently sent me an article in which he wrote that he’d […]

“You’re not making any sense,” I said. “Well, you’re not listening to me,” she said. My wife and I were having an argument, and it was not going well. I love to argue, but I don’t like it when the argument turns into a fight. I don’t like the hurt feelings and the misunderstandings. This time I was feeling stuck, […]